“View from the Courthouse Steps", by local artist Penny Pryor Pynkala, first place winner of the 8th Annual Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce Art Contest. Print measures 16X20 and are $25 each, plus $5 shipping and handling. Prints are also available at the Chamber of Commerce or click here to order pam@oxfordms.com.

*Limited edition signed & numbered prints, only 250 will be sold.

All the best in shopping, dining, sports, and culture can be found in historic Oxford and surrounding Lafayette County. Located 70 miles south of Memphis, the area offers a delightful abundance of tourist amenities. A city of about 12,000 residents, Oxford is a vibrant University town, filled with unique shops and galleries, eclectic restaurants and clubs, historic landmarks, and comfortable inns. One of the South’s crown jewels, it is home to the University of Mississippi and hosts an array of exciting athletic events as well as enlightening and enriching performing arts programs, scholarly presentations, museums, and exhibits. The area is dotted with parks and recreation centers that offer tennis, swimming, hiking, fishing, golf and other sports. While dedicated to maintaining its Southern charm and gentility, the area has evolved into a cultural oasis for the arts and learning. Annual conferences bring speakers and participants from around the world to this place that inspires greatness. People have been known to visit Oxford for a three-day weekend, and find themselves staying 15 years. You can walk around the Courthouse Square and feel the spirit of Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner and so many other writers such as John Grisham, Willie Morris, Barry Hannah, Larry Brown and dozens of other writers who have at one time or another called Oxford home. Oxford is a community whose heart is rooted as much in the promise of its future as in the richness of its past. Roots run deep here, where people are as passionate about SEC sports as they are about their favorite author. Diversity is the norm, but Southern culture and hospitality create the foundation that makes our community unique. Oxford has earned the distinction as a Designated Retirement Community by the state of Mississippi’s Hometown Retirement program and was named one of Money magazine’s top six retirement communities in July 2001. Oxford has also been highlighted by Where To Retire, Fortune, Travel 50 And Beyond, Men’s Journal, Modern Maturity, Time magazine and many other national and regional publications as being an ideal retirement destination. The Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation’s Retiree Attraction Program offers information and tours for interested retirees who want to learn more about the town. Visit www.retire.oxfordms.com to contact the Retiree Attraction Program Director or for additional information on retirement in Oxford. The University of Mississippi – affectionately known as Ole Miss – has helped pave the way to important economic growth in industry and commerce in the area. With a student population of over 12,000 at the Oxford campus alone, Ole Miss has been an important part of the growth that Oxford has witnessed during the last five years. SEC sports continue to be a major attraction, not only for Ole Miss students and alumni, but for the entire community as well. Lavish tailgates are a big tradition during home football games, and Oxford plays host to several thousand visitors each year who attend events here from across the nation. Additional information about Ole Miss can be obtained through their web site: www.olemiss.edu. Oxford has also become a significant center for medical treatment, with the newly remodeled and enlarged Baptist Memorial Hospital – North Mississippi is the hub. Learn more about advancing medical care and growth in Oxford by visiting Baptist Memorial’s web site: www.bmhcc.org/services/hospitals/northms.asp. Awash in the colors of blooming azaleas, wisteria, and dogwoods each spring, Oxford celebrates its appreciation of fine crafts, good music, and delicious food by hosting the Double Decker Arts Festival in the picturesque downtown Square. For additional information on tourism attractions in and around Oxford, visit www.touroxfordms.com. The Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce continually strives to make the Lafayette – Oxford – University (LOU) community a better place to live. By providing programs to enhance our business community, as well as partnering with governmental and university organizations, we preserve our quality of life and prepare our citizens for the future.